Deuteronomy xxviii. 7.

The Lord fhall caufe thine Enemies that rife up against thee to be Smitten before thy Face: They fhall come out against thee one Way, and flee before thee feven Ways.

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LMIGHTY GOD, who fuper intends and governs the Affairs of the World by his wife and good Providence, having fignally ap pear'd for us, in fuppreffing that monftrous and unnatural Rebellion by which we were lately fo much alarm'd; we fhould think oufelves obliged to join in publick and folemn Thanksgiving for fuch a Salvation; and this is the Duty to which, by our most gracious Sovereign's Royal Proclamation, we are now called.

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In

་།བབསྡུ་ཐ། ་་་་་་

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A Thanksgiving Sermon.

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In the Time of our Trouble, and when were under fuch Apprehenfions of Danger as gave us much Uneafiness, Prayers were every where offered up to Heaven for the Defeat of our Enemies, Deliverance from the Calamities of an inteftine War, and a Restoration of the publick Peace and Tranquillity: And as, by a divine Blessing on his Majefty's Counfels and Arms, these great Mercies have been obtained; furely they ought to be in the most grateful and devout manner acknowledged; and this God expects from us. Not that he wants any Returns that we are capable of making for the Favours which he beftows; nor is it to be fuppofed, that there can be any Addition made to his effential Glory by our most exalted Praifes; but he is pleafed with our fincere, though faint, Attempts to proclaim the Honours of his Name, and fuch is his Condefcenfion, that he has fignified so much to us by faying, Whofo offereth Praife glorifieth me, Pfal. 1. 23.

Now that we may be deeply affected with the great and undeferved Goodnessof God in the Deliverance, which we are affembled this Morning to thank him for, I have formed a fhort Difcourfe, grounded upon the Paffage of Scripture which has been read, and endeavoured to make it as fuitable as I could to the present joyful Occafion.

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A Thanksgiving Sermon.

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The Words contain a great Bleffing promised to the Ifraelites if they behaved themselves answerably to what God required of them, and obey'd the Precepts which they were commanded to have a strict and dutiful Regard to. Upon that Condition, they were encouraged to expect that Providence would smile upon them with regard to their Perfons, Eftates and Employments; that their Plenty would be continued, that they fhould be advanced above the People round about them, and be victorious over their Enemies. The Lord fhall caufe thine Enemies that rife up against thee to be fmitten before thy Face, &c. You fee they were affured that God would be with them, fight their Battles, and defeat any Forces that should make War upon them, fo that they should cither be cut off and killed upon the Spot, or flee before them by many different Ways, that they might make their Escape, and not fall into their Hands."

Thus God engaged to favour Ifrael, and thus he has been graciously pleased to favour us, though we are fuch a finful People, and he might juftly have fuffered our Enemies to prevail against and triumph

over us.

This all that are concern'd for our holy Religion, and for the national Welfare and Profperity muft, I am fure, look upon

as

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A Thanksgiving Sermon.

as a Mercy which we ought to fet the highest Value upon, and fhould never forget; and that we may view it in this Light, let us confider,

I. What the vile and impious Defign of
the late Rebellion was, and how dread-
ful the Confequences would have been,
had not Providence fruftrated it.
II. The Progress made by the Rebels in
executing their Defign.

III. The kind and feasonable Interpo-
fition of a Divine Hand, in their De-
feat and our Deliverance.

I fhall endeavour to lay these Things before you, as well as I can, in a small Compass; and then point out the Improvement which fhould be made of the great Mercy of God to us.

I. Let us confider what the vile and impious Design of the late Rebellion was, and how dreadful the Confequences would have been, had not Providence fruftrated it.

It has long been the Happiness of Britons to live under the best of Governments, in the quiet and undifturb'd Enjoyment of our Religion and Liberties, secure in our Properties, and in the Poffeffion of every Bleffing belonging to us as a Free and Pro

teftant